Adrian Peterson booked on child injury charges, out on bond

A Texas prosecutor said Adrian Peterson crossed a line when he struck his child with what has been described as a "switch" earlier this year, causing the boy to suffer injuries.

Speaking at a news conference Saturday afternoon, Montgomery County First Dist. Atty. Phil Grant said the Minnesota Vikings star running back's decision to discipline the boy went past reasonable standards.

“The mental state that’s reflected in the indictment is that he did so with criminal negligence, or recklessness," Grant said.

A Texas grand jury returned an indictment against Peterson on Friday, charging him with causing an injury to a child. He surrendered to police Friday night and was released from jail on $15,000 bail.

The incident took place on May 18, according to a copy of the indictment, which describes the switch that Peterson used as a "branch."

The indictment was actually returned on Thursday, according to the document, although news of Peterson's pending legal troubled did not circulate until Friday.

The Vikings have deactivated Peterson for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, and it remains unclear if he will face additional discipline from the team or the league. According to the Associated Press, Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the league, said Saturday that Peterson's case “will be reviewed under the NFL's personal conduct policy."

Adrian Peterson mug shot

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

Adrian Peterson's booking shot taken early Saturday morning, September 13.

Peterson turned himself in after police issued a warrant for his arrest. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted, according to Grant, who said probation was also an option. Peterson will likely appear in court "within a few weeks," according to Grant.

"Obviously, parents are entitled to discipline their children as they see fit, except when that discipline exceeds what the community would say is reasonable," Grant said, according to the Associated Press. "The grand jury looked at the injuries to this child and determined that discipline was not reasonable and did not reflect community standards of what was reasonable discipline."

The abuse allegations surfaced after the child, who spent his summer break with Peterson in Texas, returned home to his mother in Minnesota, an NFL source told the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

Bruises were discovered during a routine doctor's visit, the source said. The Vikings were aware of Peterson's legal troubles but believed he had been cleared of criminal charges.

League commissioner Roger Goodell notified the NFL Players Association on Friday that former Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely because his version of his February altercation with his then-fiancee was "starkly different" than the one shown on the video that surfaced earlier...

(Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson)

On Friday, Peterson's attorney said the 29-year-old had been cooperating with authorities and spent hours testifying before a grand jury.

"Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in East Texas," attorney Rusty Hardin said in a statement. "Adrian has never hidden from what happened."

A 2-year-old boy fathered by Peterson died in October 2013 after being allegedly assaulted by the mother's boyfriend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The man, Joseph R. Patterson, was indicted on second-degree murder charges.

Peterson told reporters at that time he had learned about the child only two months before and been preparing to provide financial assistance to him and his mother.

From the report:

Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch – which he consistently referred to as a “switch” – removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly.

The beating allegedly resulted in numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. Peterson then texted the boy’s mother, saying that one wound in particular would make her “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.”

Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh” and also acknowledged the injury to the child’s scrotum in a text message, saying, “Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!”

In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, “Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.”

According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face.” The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that “there are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.” He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.”

Peterson is said to have been calm and cooperative with authorities, apparently in the belief that he had done nothing wrong. He was deactivated Friday afternoon by the Vikings for this Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, released this statement:

“Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter.

Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours.

Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.”

Peterson, the player

Peterson, 29, a six-time Pro Bowl running back and a former NFL Most Valuable Player, is in his eighth season in the league, all with the Vikings. He has rushed for 10,190 yards and scored 91 touchdowns, 86 on the ground, in his career.

In 2012, Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, the second-most in a single season in NFL history, trailing only Eric Dickerson's 2,105 in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.